daybreak, and he would keep on his feet
as long as the others did, no matter how much it cost him.

And when they set out shortly after daybreak, wanting to move as far as
they could before the heat hours when they must rest, the going was not
too bad. Dane's feet were tender to the touch, but he could shuffle
along at the tail of the procession with only Nymani playing rear guard
behind him.

Jungle lay before them and bush knives began to swing, clearing their
path. Dane took his turn with the rest at that chore, thankful that the
business of cutting their way through that mass of greenery slowed them
to a pace he could match--if not in comfort, then by willpower.

But the sand worms were not the only troubles one could encounter on
Khatka. Within an hour Captain Jellico stood sweating and speaking his
mind freely in the native tongues of five different planets while Tau
and Nymani worked as a team with skinning knives. They were not flaying
the spaceman, but they came near to that in places as they worried a
choice selection of tree thorns out of his arm and shoulder. The captain
had been unfortunate enough to trip and fall into the embrace of a very
unfriendly bush.

Dane inspected a fallen tree for evidence of inimical wild life, and
then rested his blanket between him and it as a protecting cushion
before he sat down. These trees were not the towering giants of the true
forests, but rather oversized bushes which had been made into walls by
twined vines. Brilliant bursts of flowers were splotches of vivid color,
and the attendant insect life was altogether too abundant. Dane tried to
tally his immunity shots and hoped for the best. At the moment he
wondered why anyone would want to visit Khatka, let alone pay some
astronomical sum for the privilege. Though he could also guess that the
plush safari arranged for a paying client might be run on quite
different lines from their own present trek.

How _could_ a tracker find his way through this? With the compasses
playing crazy tricks into the bargain! Jellico knew that the compasses
were off, yet the captain had followed Asaki's lead without question, so
he must trust the Ranger's forest craft. But Dane wished they were clear
on the mountain side again.

Time had little meaning in that green gloom. But when they worked
through to meet rock walls again, the sun said it was well into the
after part of the day. They sheltered for a breather under the drooping
limb